Ask @TWUStudentU:

I see below that the fee increase will not start right away but could you please provide an estimated semester when the fees will start to increase? I would love for the Denton campus to be better, but I am on a strict budget.

The fee will not go into effect until after all approvals have been obtained both at the campus and the state government levels. The soonest that the fee could possibly be implemented is the fall 2015 semester; note, though, that this date is an estimate and not final.

When will the building be ready? If I'm going to be paying for the new student union I would like to be assured that I would still be at the Denton campus to enjoy it. I'm a second semester freshman and a nursing major.

After the referendum and approval from both the Board of Regents and the State of Texas, the design process can begin. We anticipate that the design process will last approximately one year and the construction process will last around 18 months. This means that the potential opening date would be Fall 2018.We understand that being here during the opening is a major consideration. However, we also encourage you to think about the students 7 years ago who passed the Fitness & Recreation building referendum. Without their desire to pay it forward and make the Denton campus better, the Fitness Center would still be in the first floor of Jones Hall and current students wouldn't get to experience the state-of-the-art Fitness & Recreation Center. Consider what you'd like your legacy to be at TWU and let that inform your vote.

where on pioneer portal do i go to vote?

Will building a new student union in Denton cause Houston students to pay more tuition? We already have a limited resources, with only 3 study rooms on the whole campus. If anyone needs a student union, with study and food options it is the TWU Houston Campus.

Thanks for your question! The Union fees and tuition fees are separate sources of money. All TWU students currently pay a Union fee of $38 per semester and the proposed increase is to $150 per semester. Your tuition is separate from the fees you pay, but tuition and fees are combined in your total student bill. This increase would affect your fees, but it would not impact your cost of tuition. To respond to your concerns regarding the Houston campus, an increased Union fee could provide opportunities for additional study and lounge space in lounge.

What specifically is the benefit for students in Dallas and Houston?

Current fees in Houston & Dallas cover staff salaries, programming, cable/satellite TV coverage, public area furnishings and needs. Anticipated fees in Houston & Dallas could expand into additional staffing needs both professional & student wages, game room opportunities & equipment, additional lounge space and study areas, digital signage needs and a lactation room for Houston, and an additional car/van for student usage in Dallas. These are all possibilities, but we are not limited to only these options. Needs will be assessed and prioritized based on student feedback during the design phase of the Student Union project.

Didn't the Regents vote against a new union just last year, despite a student referendum like this showing that students were for it?

Great question. During the last legislative session, the Texas state legislature made it clear that they would not support any fee increases. Therefore, the TWU Administration made the decision not to bring this before the Board of Regents because they anticipated it would likely be dismissed on the legislative level. So the Regents never had the opportunity to vote for or against the construction of a new Student Union. We anticipate that the state legislative climate will improve for the next legislative session (2015) and so we have an opportunity to bring the student vote before them this time. We must have another referendum, though, because in Spring 2015, the results of the previous vote will be two years old, and many of the students who voted will have graduated. We want to show that this fee increase and Student Union construction is something that current students desire and will support.

What new dining options could be added?

We are open to suggestions! The design phase of this process would not begin until after the referendum is passed (approximately Spring 2015), so we will not have a concrete answer until then. However, we are collecting ideas from students now and will certainly do so before construction begins.

What services will be in the new union?

At this time no specific designs have been created. However, the Union Advisory Board and student leaders have created a wish list which include expanded dining and seating options, additional meeting rooms, theatre, student organization office and work space, expanded game room and recreational areas, study space, and technology enriched areas. In addition to the new facility in Denton, additional services are being considered for both the Houston and Dallas campuses.

Will this affect campus parking?

We understand that parking is always a concern for our student body and we will take precautions so that parking and campus flow will have the least amount of impact as possible. Discussions are occurring outside of the design of the Union project that will address the needs of campus parking.

I won’t be here when it is built. Why should I pay?

The fee will not go into effect until after all approvals have been obtained both at the campus and the state government levels. This will be your opportunity to leave a positive legacy behind for future TWU students.